Wikispaces Help

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Introduction

Video: Wikis in Plain English

Getting Started

Wikispaces offers 100% advertisement-free wikis for educators. To get yours, go here and input the following:
  • Your username
  • Your desired account password
  • Your email address
  • Select Yes for "Make a Space?"
  • Your desired space name ("___.wikispaces.com") - make it something easy to remember(e.g., MrSmith.wikispaces.com; APEuro.wikispaces.com)
  • Choose space visibility
    • Choose PUBLIC if you want your page viewable and editable by the world
    • Choose PROTECTED if you want your page viewable by the world, but only editable by authorized users (e.g., you and/or your students)
    • Choose PRIVATE if you only want authorized users to view & edit your page
  • Check the box indicating that you will use this wiki for educational purposes (if you want one for personal use, you either need to pay or see ads)

Your New Space

The default "theme" (layout) is a left-side menu with a grey background. You can always return to the main page by clicking the blue space name in the far upper left corner of the page. You can change how your wiki looks in a few different ways:

Changing the Theme

Themes_Choices_Wikispaces.png
Themes_Choices_Wikispaces.png


  • Click Manage Space in the upper left corner
  • Under Space Settings, click Look and Feel
  • Under Theme, select Change or make a new theme
  • Click Preview under each of the four pre-made themes to see how your site will look. Once you find one you like, click Use Theme

Changing the Background Color

Themes_Colors_etc_wikispaces.png
Themes_Colors_etc_wikispaces.png

  • Click Manage Space in the upper left corner
  • Under Space Settings, click Look and Feel
  • Under Colors, select pick color under the part of your space you'd like to change
  • A color wheel will appear - select the color you'd like and click Save

Adding Links to the Side Men

  • Click edit navigation at the bottom of the side menu
  • Enter the text for the links you will create. Hit Enter after each word or phrase to create a vertical menu.
  • Make text link to sites:
    • Highlight the word or phrase to link
    • Click the gloIbe and chain link icon in the toolbar. A new window will pop up (make sure your web browser allows popups from Wikispaces.com).
    • The new window will have 3 sections
      • Link Text: This is the text that will act as a link. It should be what you just highlighted; correct it if it's not.
      • Wiki Link: Select this option if you wish to link to or create a new page on your space. Either select a pre-existing page from the drop-down menu, OR select "New Page" from the menu and type the name of your new page in the box below.
      • External Link: Select this option if you wish to link to a page outside of your space (e.g., CNN.com). You can also use this option to create a "send email" link. To do this, select "mailto:" from the drop-down menu, then put your email address in the box.
    • Click OK on the right if everything looks good; Cancel if you change your mind.
  • After you've created all your links, select Save from the editor. Your new menu will appear in the sidebar.
  • Links will remain a dark red color until you go to the new page and input text.

Editing Pages

Edit_Toolbar_from_Wikispaces.png
Edit_Toolbar_from_Wikispaces.png

  • Click Edit this Page on any page to create or edit text
  • The left side of the editor toolbar works just like Microsoft Word - Bold, Italic, Underline, bulletpoints, etc. You cannot change font size, but you can make section headings different sizes and add lines to separate sections.
  • The green tree icon allows you to insert a picture or file (see instructions below)
  • The TV screen icon allows you to embed video, polls, spreadsheets, and other multimedia "widgets"
  • ALWAYS REMEMBER TO HIT SAVE before leaving the editor; otherwise, you will lose all your work

Uploading Files (Documents & Pictures)

Adding_Files_Screen.png
Adding_Files_Screen.png
















  • Manage Space
  • Under Space Contents, choose List and Upload Files
  • At the File Selection box, select Browse... and navigate to the file you want to upload
  • Choose your file, select Open in the popup dialog box, and press Send on the Wikispaces page

Displaying Picture/Offering Files for Download

  • From the Page Editor, select the green tree icon
  • The Insert File window will pop up.
  • Doubleclick the file you want to insert in the page
    • If it is a text document (Word, Excel, .pdf, etc.), the filename will appear in double brackets - "example.doc"
    • If it is a picture, you will be prompted to align it left, right, or center, and you will be able to add a caption

Adding Widgets
Wiki_Widgets_Screen.png
Wiki_Widgets_Screen.png
Video_Widgets_Screen.png
Video_Widgets_Screen.png




Inviting Students/Teachers to Edit Your Space

If your space is Protected or Private, you will need to authorize new users. This can be done two different ways.
Pending_Members_Wikispaces.png
Pending_Members_Wikispaces.png

  • Individual Invitations
    • Manage Space
    • Space Settings -> Members and Permissions
    • Invite a New Member: Type the person's email address in the box. They will be sent an invitation to join your space and be given editing privileges (they will also have to create a Wikispaces account if they don't have one already)

Pending_Members_Wikispaces.png
Pending_Members_Wikispaces.png

  • Batch Invitations
    • To invite a large group of people (e.g., department members, class members), send an email to help@wikispaces.com with a list of usernames, email addresses (if you have them), and passwords. There's more detailed information on this process here.